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Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:44:41 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.11.1 Billion Youths Risk Hearing Loss – WHOhttp://leadership.ng/news/415064/1-1-billion-youths-risk-hearing-loss-who
http://leadership.ng/news/415064/1-1-billion-youths-risk-hearing-loss-who#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:44:41 +0000http://leadership.ng/?p=415064Some 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices, including smartphones, and exposure to damaging levels of sound at noisy entertainment venues such as nightclubs, bars and sporting events, according to the World Health Organisation.

The WHO stated this in a statement to mark the International Ear Care Day, celebrated each year on March 3rd and the launch of the “Make Listening Safe” initiative to draw attention to the dangers of unsafe listening and promote safer practices.

Nearly half of teenagers and young adults are exposed to unsafe sound levels on headphones, while some 40 per cent put their hearing at risk at clubs, bars and sports events where “recreational noise” is excessive, WHO said.

The UN health agency called on youths to listen to loud music on their headphones to less than one hour per day.

“As they go about their daily lives doing what they enjoy, more and more young people are placing themselves at risk of hearing loss,” notes Dr Etienne Krug, WHO Director for the Department for Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention. “They should be aware that once you lose your hearing, it won’t come back. Taking simple preventive actions will allow people to continue to enjoy themselves without putting their hearing at risk.”

Nightclubs typically play music at 100 decibels, which is the equivalent of hearing a jackhammer at short distance and is safe for only 15 minutes.

Entertainment venues should limit sound levels and offer protective earplugs and quiet zones to their customers, WHO recommended.

“Hearing loss can have serious consequences for physical and mental health, and for young people’s prospects in education and employment, and they should be aware that once you lose your hearing, it won’t come back,” the message warned.

The WHO said young people can better protect their hearing by keeping the volume down on personal audio devices, wearing earplugs when visiting noisy venues, and using carefully fitted, and, if possible, noise-cancelling earphones/headphones.

“They can also limit the time spent engaged in noisy activities by taking short listening breaks and restricting the daily use of personal audio devices to less than one hour.

“Governments also have a role to play by developing and enforcing strict legislation on recreational noise, and by raising awareness of the risks of hearing loss through public information campaigns,” WHO added.

A statement signed by the public relations officer of the state ministry of agriculture, Ismaila Ashiru, copy of which was made available to newsmen said the state had been certified free of the disease.

He urged farmers not to panic as the disease had been contained following aggressive efforts from the state government noting that necessary equipments and logistic were provided leading to effective control of the disease.

“Farmers need to strongly control human and vehicular traffic into their farms as well as to sanitized, and disinfect their farms and premises regularly”

He enjoined farms to promptly report any outbreak of disease to the ministry or any of the seven zonal areas veterinary clinics in the state.

It would be recalled that outbreak of bird flu was recorded in two poultry farms in the state last two weeks.

State commissioner of agriculture, Adamu Mato Zango who confirmed the outbreak said no fewer than eight thousand birds from the two farms were affected by the disease and stressed that the ministry promptly conducted depopulation exercis

]]>http://leadership.ng/news/politics/415060/katsina-now-free-of-bird-flu/feed0Woman Nabbed Buying PVCs In Katsinahttp://leadership.ng/news/politics/415058/woman-nabbed-buying-pvcs-in-katsina
http://leadership.ng/news/politics/415058/woman-nabbed-buying-pvcs-in-katsina#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:35:48 +0000http://leadership.ng/?p=415058Barely few days after a Katsina State PDP councillor was arrested for alleged purchase of permanent voter cards (PVCs), a woman, one Zuwaira Bello had been nabbed for allegedly buying PVCs in the state.

It was gathered that the said Bello, a resident of Funtua, was reportedly caught buying the cards in Danja town, the headquarters of Danja LG of the state.

A source told our correspondent that the woman was arrested along with two other persons and is being held at the Katsina State command of Nigerian Police.

She was reportedly caught in the act by some APC members in the area who handed her over to the police.

The spokesman of Katsina state police command, DSP Aminu Sadik who confirmed the arrest of the culprits said investigations was being conducted.

Reacting to the rising case of trade in PVCs, the Coalition of Political parties in Katsina state
appealed to both INEC and police to take stern measures in averting it.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of the Coalition, its PRO and the chairman of Katsina state chapter of Labour Party, Shafiu Salmanu said the trend smacks of attempt to jeopardise the elecoral proce

]]>http://leadership.ng/news/politics/415058/woman-nabbed-buying-pvcs-in-katsina/feed0Woman In Kaduna Arrested Over Sales Of PVCshttp://leadership.ng/news/415056/woman-in-kaduna-arrested-over-sales-of-pvcs
http://leadership.ng/news/415056/woman-in-kaduna-arrested-over-sales-of-pvcs#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:32:13 +0000http://leadership.ng/?p=415056Ahead of the general elections, a woman in her mid 40s was on Tuesday arrested by the Police in Kaduna while attempting to sell some permanent voter cards (PVCs), following an alarm raised by the women leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kabala ward ‎in Kaduna North local government.

The women leader, Hajiya Hajara Mairiga told the police that the suspect whose name could not be ascertained as at press time came to her house on Monday and told her that she had her ‎PVCs and others for sale.

Details shortly

]]>http://leadership.ng/news/415056/woman-in-kaduna-arrested-over-sales-of-pvcs/feed0Jonathan Wades Into Ebonyi Crisis, Summons Elechi, Anyim, Umahihttp://leadership.ng/news/politics/415054/jonathan-wades-into-ebonyi-crisis-summons-elechi-anyim-umahi
http://leadership.ng/news/politics/415054/jonathan-wades-into-ebonyi-crisis-summons-elechi-anyim-umahi#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:27:42 +0000http://leadership.ng/?p=415054The impasse crippling political activities in the Ebonyi State chapter of the ruling People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) took a deeper crisis dimension on Tuesday, as a meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the warring parties was inconclusive.

The president, LEADERSHIP gathered had summoned the state Governor, Martins Elechi; Secretary to Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim and the PDP governorship candidate for Ebonyi state, David Umahi as well as some PDP leaders to the meeting with a view to addressing the political rancor once and for all.

The meeting, which lasted for over five hours in the President’s office at the presidential villa Abuja was also attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo and some PDP governors led by chairman of their forum and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio.

Also in attendance were Governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and his Benue counterpart, Gabriel Suswam.

After the December governorship primary in which former Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu who was Elechi’s candidate lost to the governor’s deputy said to be the preferred candidate of the SGF, the state has been embroiled in a serious crisis.

The embattled governor who also failed to scale through his own senatorial primary is at the moment facing impeachment threat from the Ebonyi State House of Assembly on allegations of misappropriation of funds, gross misconduct and anti party activities, as he is said to have shifted his support to the Labour Party governorship candidate in the state.

It became apparent that yesterday’s meeting could not resolve the impasse in Ebonyi when the Elechi stormed out of the president’s office looking rather angry.

He was very hostile to State House correspondents who had approached him for the outcome of the meeting, just as he threatened to brake a tape recorder belonging to one of the reporters.

The governor who said he was not in Aso Rock to answer questions from journalists raised his walking stick, threatening angrily to smash the tape recorder of the correspondent who was adamant on getting answers from him.

Benue State Governor, Suswam who spoke to journalists acknowledged the fact that the political crisis in Ebonyi was one of the major issues discussed at the meeting,even as he said the impasse in the south east state would soon be over.

Suswam who came out of the meeting few minutes after his Ebonyi counterpart had left denied, however that Elechi did not storm out of the meeting, contrary to the impression created by his body language.

He argued that the meeting went well and that Elechi only rushed out IOC the meeting the way he did to meet up with his flight.

He said, “I don’t think he (Elechi) stormed out of the meeting. We ended the meeting properly, and I believe he had a flight to catch and so, he was rushing.

“Yes, Ebonyi problem was one of the issues discussed in the meeting, but we are almost at the solution to that problem. So I think the governor was rushing to catch a flight”.

On the allegation that some PDP candidates were not campaigning for other candidates of the ruling party, especially the party’s presidential candidate, Jonathan, the governor dismissed the claim as near impossible.

He explained that all candidates of the party were duty bound to campaign for the party which implied that every single candidate was campaigning for all others of the party platform, not excluding the presidential ticket bearer.

He said: “I don’t think that is true. People have different ways of campaining, and as a senatorial candidate there’s no way I can be campaigning for my seat alone without campaignong for the president.

“You know in political parties we have issues. Different candidates have different issuses. There are no universal issues across the lenght and breadth of the parties. So it is not true that people are not campaigning for the president.

“There are minor issues here and there and those issues like I said since yesterday, you will observe that between yesterday and today, we’ve been meeting. We are meeting because we want to be in charge, we want to be abreast. PDP is going to win this election landslide, there’s no two ways about it. Forget about the noise and propaganda. We are ready and willing, and nothing is going to stop it.

“So there’s no issue of not campaigning for the president. We are all campaigning for the PDP. and all the PDP candidates across, even if no names are mentioned.”

Suswam further explained that the series of convened by President Jonathan with PDP governors, candidates and party leaders in the last few days were targeted at calibrating the ruling party as safe guard for victory in the forthcoming general poll

]]>http://leadership.ng/news/politics/415054/jonathan-wades-into-ebonyi-crisis-summons-elechi-anyim-umahi/feed0Ahmed Promises Pensioners Regular Paymenthttp://leadership.ng/news/politics/415052/ahmed-promises-pensioners-regular-payment
http://leadership.ng/news/politics/415052/ahmed-promises-pensioners-regular-payment#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:22:07 +0000http://leadership.ng/?p=415052Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed has assured pensioners in the state of regular payment of their monthly salary, dwindling allocation from the federation account notwithstanding.
He gave this assurance during an interactive session with the pensioners in the state under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners.
Ahmed said that his administration would also ensure that entitlements of pensioners are reviewed whenever the entitlements of civil servants are being reviewed.
He disclosed that the state government would soon introduce a comprehensive pre-retirement entrepreneurial skill training programme for civil servants while a similar scheme was being planned for pensioners to be post service entrepreneurs.
He urged the pensioners to embrace the Community Health Insurance Scheme so that they could benefit from an all year round medical care at a cost of N500.
The governor promised the pensioners that outstanding issues such as the regularisation of entitlements of some retired school principals on special grade would be looked into.
The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners in the State, Alhaji Muhammed Haliru commended Governor Ahmed and his administration for being pensioners friendly.
According to Haliru, the state pensioners receive their pensions on or before the 25th of every month like civil servants in the state.
He, however, appealed to the governor to explore possibilities of assisting local governments in the state on how to ensure that local government pensioners’ gratuities are paid up to date like those of their state counterparts.
]]>http://leadership.ng/news/politics/415052/ahmed-promises-pensioners-regular-payment/feed0Fuel Scarcity Caused By Panic Buying – NNPChttp://leadership.ng/news/415041/fuel-scarcity-caused-by-panic-buying-nnpc
http://leadership.ng/news/415041/fuel-scarcity-caused-by-panic-buying-nnpc#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:30:46 +0000http://leadership.ng/?p=415041The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has described the recent fuel scarcity in some parts of the country as artificially induced.

The Corporation will import 1 billion litres of petrol in March.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, revealed that the Group Managing Director, GMD, NNPC, Dr. Joseph Dawha, with the Chief Executive Officers of the NNPC subsidiaries, will monitor fuel stations in Abuja.

Dawha said the exercise is to prevent hoarding of petrol and panic buying in Abuja and Lagos.

In a statement made by the Executive Secretary, PPPRA, Farouk Ahmed, the situation is suspicious as there is abundant petrol in the country.

“The problem we have is not really with the supply because there is enough supply. The PPMC has almost more than 800,000 metric tons that will be arriving in the month of March which is over a billion litres in terms of our daily consumption,” he said.

“I think we should just encourage the people to desist from panic buying”, he added.

]]>http://leadership.ng/news/415041/fuel-scarcity-caused-by-panic-buying-nnpc/feed0Man Bites Off Stepson’s Earhttp://leadership.ng/news/415046/man-bites-off-stepsons-ear
http://leadership.ng/news/415046/man-bites-off-stepsons-ear#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:18:30 +0000http://leadership.ng/?p=415046Udeme Inim, 30, has allegedly beaten off his son’s ear at Asaka Street, off Abule-Nla Road, Ebute Meta West was as a result of an assault by Inim on wife.

According to the victim, Christopher Bassey , “…he was fighting with my mum and at a point he began to destroy some of our property. It was too much for me to bear so I tried to stop and that’s when he attacked and bit off my ear” he said.

The victim was rushed to the hospital shortly after the matter was reported to Iponri Police Station.

The Police arraigned Inim before a Magistrate’s Court on On3e count assault. Inim pleaded not guilty.

]]>http://leadership.ng/news/415046/man-bites-off-stepsons-ear/feed0Election: Vote Credible Candidates, Muslim Group Urges Nigerianshttp://leadership.ng/news/415043/election-vote-credible-candidates-muslim-group-urges-nigerians
http://leadership.ng/news/415043/election-vote-credible-candidates-muslim-group-urges-nigerians#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:10:19 +0000http://leadership.ng/?p=415043The Islamic organisation for eradicating innovations and establishing sunnah has called on Nigerians to be steadfast and vote for credible and good leaders in the forthcoming general election.

The national chairman of Jibwis, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau made the call at the organisation’s national secretariat in Abuja, yesterday.

The chairman stressed that there is need for people to be calm and use wisdom in choosing the leaders who would work hard to protect the rights and interests of their followers.